


Loving the Danger

by tal_5



Series: Circus AU [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, Fire, Fire Juggling, Fluff, Implied Romance, Inspired by The Greatest Showman (2017), Juggling, M/M, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Tightrope Walking, Trapeze, heights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-30 00:46:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16754635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tal_5/pseuds/tal_5
Summary: It's showtime, so all feelings and doubts must be pushed to the back of their minds.They can't mess up.He doesn't want to fall.





	Loving the Danger

**Author's Note:**

> Note: I'm terrible at summaries, sorry. Also, I'm not used to the formatting on AO3 yet, so I'm sorry if it doesn't look great! 
> 
> Yes, this is kind of inspired by 'The Greatest Showman', but it's less of a freakshow and more of just a circus. This one is going to be short, but sweet! I'm currently working on a oneshot that is over 7000 words long at the moment, and I don't think I'm even half way done, oops. So that one will be out in a little while, hopefully by next week. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used in this story unless clearly stated. These characters belong to Thomas Sanders.

Cold, light fingers comb through dark strands of hair. Blood is thundering through pale ears. An unseen force is pushing against a short figure.

Then, the music starts to play.

Virgil glides through the air, looking flawless as he does so, not allowing the audience to see how hard his heart is pounding. He loves this feeling. The adrenaline. The  _rush_. But along with that adoration is fear. Will this be the time he finally makes a mistake? What if he fumbles?

_Is he going to fall?_

If he does, there's nothing to catch him. Their last net was torn and became unusable. How, they still aren't sure. But they won't be able to purchase a new one for at least two weeks. Everyone had insisted on cancelling the upcoming shows, but Virgil was concerned that if they did, the audience would forget about them. So, he pushed forward.

That means it's his fault, really. He can't complain when he was the only one against cancellation.

Once he reaches his platform at the right side of the tent, he pauses, looks around. Patton is holding himself up on his hands, legs curved around until his toes meet his fingertips, but his face is still grinning and making silly faces at the children giggling in front of him. Logan is beginning his act, feet edging forwards. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right. He's walking right now, but in around five minutes, he's going to be pedalling on a unicycle over one of the thinnest tightropes Virgil has ever seen.

Then, there's Dorian, manipulating animals left and right. Guiding lions to jump through hoops, elephants to balance on small stools, and horses to gallop around the stage, earning wide grins from those in the audience. Though, Virgil can always spot one or two members of the audience flinching away, obviously fearing the animals and their dangerous potential.

Virgil and Dorian don't always get along, but he will never stop admiring how wonderfully he handles the animals he works with. Ensuring that they're comfortable, well fed, and safe. They're almost a family to him now.

Below him, Nate flicks his light hair back and winks at the audience before tilting his head back, and swallowing a thin steel sword whole. The audience gasps in shock, but applauds quickly when he slides it out again, grinning when a young boy cheers louder than any other audience member there.

Joan and Talyn, a couple that Virgil secretly envies, juggles wooden pins between them. They swap every once in a while, juggling three on their own before twirling to pass them back onto each other. But much like a boomerang, the pins they throw are always thrown back at them. Soon, those pins will be set aflame, and Virgil worries that that will be the moment his heart gives out.

The ringleader, Thomas, is singing his usual melody, his solo, before the other acts join in. He truly does have a beautiful voice, the vibrato echoing and bouncing off every thin wall of the tent. Terrence, a singer and another object manipulator, will soon join him in a duet. But for now, he lays on a table on his back, spinning a wooden table in the air with his feet.

Roman hasn't entered the ring yet, but he soon will, and Virgil doesn't know if his heart will survive beating any faster than it already is.

On his platform on the other side of the tent, Remy stands, holding onto a trapeze and meeting his gaze for a second. Virgil nods. Remy jumps.

He swings until he's close enough to Virgil that he flips over the wooden pole and curls his legs over it, reaching out to catch Virgil's hands with his. They fly across the tent until Virgil makes his move.

Letting go of the trapeze, he allows himself spin as he falls, doing multiple forwards summersaults in a row. Right on time, Roman sprints out and, in one swift movement, snatches him right out of the sky.

Virgil glances up and can't prevent the way his breath catches in his throat.

Golden spotlights are giving off the illusion that Roman's eyes are  _glowing_ , speckles of apparent amber and hazel almost reflect the light shining down on him. He gives the audience a huge toothy smile, tiny dents appearing in his tanned cheeks as he does so. Virgil is shocked, and maybe a little bit jealous, that there's only a thin layer of sweat covering his face. Though he really shouldn't be by now.

The toned arms holding him tighten for a moment, signalling that he'll be performing their next move in a second. Virgil prepares himself, taking a deep breath when Roman lifts him above his head, maneuvering his body until he's balancing on one foot. One of Roman's hands holding him up, arm completely straight.

Enthusiastic cries erupt from the audience, only getting louder as Logan finally begins to ride his unicycle across the tightrope, barely wobbling, though Virgil has seen him perform many times before and can see the man waver a couple of times as he performs.

He almost never gets nervous, but one smile from Patton can send anyone's mind reeling.

Fire licks at the edge of his vision as he's thrown up into the air, gripping Remy's hands as tightly as he can. A lion let's out a mighty roar as Virgil flips backwards to grasp a rope hanging nearby. Remy swinging to the other side of the tent to do the same thing.

One line from Thomas gives them the sign that they need to join in the song.

And Virgil, though he'd never admit this, loves every second of their circus chorus.


End file.
